Sleeping unit



' Sept. 23, 1958 F. WILSON 2,852,787

SLEEPING UNIT Filed Aug. 1, 1955 United States Patent Ofilice 2,852,787 Patented Sept. 23, 1958 2,852,787 SLEEPING UNIT Forest Wilson, Chicago, Ill. Application August 1, 1955, Serial No. 525,471

1 Claim. (Cl. 5-2) This invention relates to a sleeping unit or sleeper as it is sometimes called, and more particularly, to a sleeper which is formed by assembling a conventional sectional sofa with a cocktail table.

It is well recognized that because of the prevalent high construction costs attendant with home building, the average home is designed without the luxury of extra bedrooms, guest rooms or convertible studies with the result that space is at a premium. To accommodate overnight guests or the like in small homes of this type, convertible davenports or sofas which may be transformed into a bed have become very popular; However, because of their inherent large or medium size and conventional design these convertible davenports or sofas generally do not conform with theiuterior design or modern furniture of the ultra-modern home.

It would be desirable therefore, to provide a sleeper which occupies a minimum of space and is capable of being assembled from ultra-modern living room furniture of the type presently in vogue. Furthermore, since the modern living room generally includes both a sectional sofa and a cocktail table, it would be highly desirable to form a sleeper from these furniture pieces.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sleeper satisfying the above-mentioned characteristics.

Another object of the presentinvention is to provide a sleeper which may be readily assembled from a living room sofa and table.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sleeper unit which is readily formed by assembling together two sectional pieces of a sofa and a cocktail table, which sectional pieces include back cushions adapted to be placed on the top of the table to provide, in cooperation with seat cushions of the sectional pieces, a cushion for the sleeping surface.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a modern living room sofa having seat and back cushions of generally rectangular configuration and a table, which sofa and table may be assembled and the back cushions of the sofa disposed on top of the table so that a sleeper unit is provided having a comfortable cushioned sleeping surface.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, in the course of which reference is had to the accompanying drawings,

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a sleeper which may be readily formed by assembling certain pieces of furniture in a modern living room. In particular, the sleeper comprises a conventional modern, sectional, living room sofa and cocktail table which may be used individually and separately but, whenever the necessity arises, may be assembled to form a comfortable and spacious bed. More specifically, there is provided a two-section, substantially L-shaped sofa which includes generally rectangular seat and back cushions. The back cushions of the sectional sofas have such a configuration and dimension as to enable them to be disposed on the top of the table, so that when the table is brought into assembled relationship with the sectional sofa there is created a generally rectangular sleeper having a segmented mattress formed by the back and seat cushions. Furthermore, to prevent the sectional sofa and table from separating during use as a sleeper, there is employed suitable locking means for securing these parts together.

Referring now to the drawings, the present improved sleeper, generally identified by the reference numeral 10 and comprising a sectional sofa 11 and cocktail table 13, is illustrated in Fig. l with its component parts disassembled and in Fig. 2 with its parts assembled. The sectional sofa 11, as illustrated, is of modern design and includes two identical sectional pieces 12. Each of the sectional pieces 12 includes a frame 14 supported by legs 15 and designed to accommodate both a horizontal seat cushion 16 and a substantially vertical back cushion 17. With the sectional sofa pieces 12 arranged in the position indicated in Fig. 1 so as to form a corner sofa or the like of substantially L shape, the sleeper may be easily and quickly formed and adaptedffor functional sleeping use by moving the cocktail table 13 into adjacent relationship with the two-sectional piece 12, as indicated in Fig. 2, and by placing the back cushions 17 of the two sectional pieces in side-by-side relationship on top of the table 13. In this manner, with the two-section sofa 11 and table 13 in the position indicated in Fig. 2, there is provided a sleeper or bed having a generally rectangular surface completely covered by the two seat cushions 16 and the two back cushions 17. As a result, a sleeper is provided which may be rapidly assembled and disassembled with a minimum of effort.

Considering the construction of the sectional pieces 12 of the sofa 11, it should be understood. that the frame 14 includes horizontally extending support 18 which houses compressed coils or other cushion supporting means (not shown) and to which the legs 15 are suitably attached. The support 18 receives the seat cushion 16 described above.

In order to provide a back rest, there is integrally associated with the support 18 along the back and one side portion thereof a vertical back support 19 which possesses the configuration shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The back support 19 accommodates the back cushion 17 and, to provide a comfortable support for the back of a person seated on the sofa, includes a back cushion engaging surface 19a disposed at a slight angle with. respect to the vertical. The support 19 also defines a seat cushion engaging surface 19b which is disposed normally to the upper surface of the support 18 in order to accommodate the rectangularly-shaped seat cushion 16. In order to enhance the appearance of the sectional pieces 12, the support 18 and the back 19 may be covered by upholstery material of any suitable type. In the embodiment described herein, the two sectional pieces of the sofa 11 are identical in shape and, hence, can be manufactured at a minimum of cost due to their adaptability to mass production techniques.

In order to provide maximum comfort for a person using the two-section sofa, the seat cushions 16 and back cushions 17 are adapted to fit together in a compact arrangement. In particular, the seat cushions 16 are of thin, generally rectangular configuration and are so dimensioned as to exactly cover the upper surface of the support 18 when disposed in abutment with a fiat surface 19b of the back support 19. Inasmuch as the rear portion of the seat cushion 16 supports .the end of the back cushion 17 and since, furthermore, the surface 1% is inclined with the vertical, the end of the cushion 17..is preferably beveled or tapered, as clearly shown in Fig.1, so that the cushion 17 will rest in flush relationship with both the cushion 16 and the back support 19.

It will be appreciated that the two back cushions 17 of the sectional pieces 12 are so dimensioned that when placed side by side .on the top of the cocktail table 13 with their beveled'surfaces positioned in face-to-face flush relationship, they cooperate to form a rectangularly shaped mattress covering the entire surface of the cocktail table. In this manner, when the sectional sofa and cocktail table are in assembled relationship and the cushions positioned as described above and as illustrated in Fig. 2, a comfortable segmented mattress is provided for the sleeper unit.

Referring now particularly to the cocktail table 13, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the table has a relatively thin, generally rectangular top surface portion 13a on which may be placed the usual decorative ornaments. The table surface 13a is spaced from the floor by supporting legs 20 at such height that it lies in approximately the same plane as the top of the support 18 so as to provide a flat horizontal base for the sleeper.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, the seat cushions 16 have lengths which are equal to twice their widths. Similarly, the cocktail table 13 has the same dimensions as the seat cushions 16 with the result that, when the table is brought into assembled relationship with the two-section, L-shaped sofa 11, there is created a continuous, fiat, rectangularly shaped unit.

Since the back cushions 17 are adapted to be positioned on the top of the cocktail table, their length is preferably equal to the entire length of the cocktail table while the median width of these cushions, i. e., the width at a point intermediate the beveled surface, is preferably equal to one-half the width of the table 13. These particular dimensions have been found desirable in order to effect a symmetrical design of the sectional sofa and cocktail table thereby satisfying the requirements of aesthetic balance and artistic taste. In addition, the size of the back cushions 17 contributes to the overall squat design typical of ultra-modern furniture.

In accordance with another important feature of the present invention, there is provided a locking means, best shown in Fig. 3, for preventing separation of the sofa and table when assembled for use as a sleeper. In particular, the locking means are associated with thesectional pieces 12 of the sofa and are so positioned that their mechanical parts are covered by the seat cushions 16 and, hence, do not mar the appearance of the sofa 11. These locking means, as best shown in Fig. 3, include an L-shaped clamp having a stern portion disposed within asuitable aperture 31 defined in a horizontal rail 32 forming a portion of the horizontal support 18. The horizontal rail 32 is suitably fastened to the vertical extending external rail 33, as best shown in Fig. 3, and serves as a supportv for two spaced, horizontal, parallel rails 34 and 35. The clamp 30 is spring biased downwardly by a spring 36 coiled about the lower portion of the clamp 30 and disposted between the lower surface of the horizontal rail 32 and a washer 37 retained upon the downwardly extending end of the clamp 30 by means of a nut 38. In this manner, the clamp member 30 is biased downwardly towards the horizontal parallel rails 34 or 35. The clamp 30 includes a horizontally extending shank portion 30a and a stub 30]) forming a hook which, as described more fully hereinafter, is adapted to overlay a portion of the cocktail table 30 in order to secure the latter to the sectional sofa piece 12.

When the locking means are in non-operative position with the table 13 and sofa 11 disassembled, they are disposed inwardly of the sectional piece 12, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and are biased into engagement with and are seated upon the inner rail member 34. In this manner, since the rail 34 is of less height than the outer rail 35, the shank portion 30a of the clamp 30 is disposed beneath the cushion supporting surface of the frame 12, and does not obstruct the positioning of the seat cushions 16 thereon. However, when the locking means are effective to hold the table and sofa in assembly, they are disposed outwardly of the sectional piece 12, as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 3, and are biased into overlapping relationship with respect to the rail member 33 on the sofa sectional piece 12 and with respect to a vertical rail 39 extending slightly upwardly from and along the entire periphery of the top surface of the table 13. In this manner, the cocktail table is locked to the sofa by the hooking action of the depending stud 30b of the clamp 30 on the vertical interior surface of the vertical rail 39. From the foregoing description it will be observed that, in order to move the clamp 30 from its inoperative to its operative position, the shank portion 30a is lifted from the rail 34 and is rotated 180 to an outwardly extending position from which it may be lowered into overlapping engagement with the adjacent rails 33 and 39 on the sofa and table, respectively.

In accordance with the present invention, there has been provided a sleeper comprising a sectional sofa and cocktail table of generally rectangular configurations, which may be readily disposed in assembled relationship by simply moving the cocktail table into engagement with the L-shaped sectional pieces of the sofa. The back cushions of the sectional pieces of the sofa are so dimensioned as to provide a cushioned surface for the cocktail table, thus facilitating the completion of a generally rectangular, cushioned sleeping surface capable of accommodating two or more persons.

While the details of the present invention have been described in connection with an illustrative embodiment thereof, it should be understood that such details are not intended to limit the invention since many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art which, nevertheless, fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In combination, a sofa comprising a horizontally extending sofa supporting structure having a peripheral recess, a plurality of seat cushions disposed on said support, a plurality of back cushions supported on said seat cushions to provide a cushioned back rest, a table having a peripheral configuration conforming to that of the recess defining surface in said sofa supporting structure, said back cushions having respective peripheral configurations permitting assembly thereof into a composite cushion having a surface configuration which is substantially the same as that of the top of said table, the sum of the height of said table andthe height of said composite cushion being equal to the sum of the heights of said sofa supporting structure and each of the seat cushions which are supported thereon, and means comprising a hooklike member mounted on said sofa supporting structure for removably securing said table to said sofa, one edge of each of said back cushions being disposed at an angle differing from relative to the sides of said cushions, the angled edges of said back cushions being juxtaposed in close fitting relationship when arranged'on said table.

(References on following page) 5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 176,646 Phillips June 22, 1920 178,705 Martin June 29, 1937 5 183,189 Phillips Apr. 24, 1951 3 Frey July 15, 1952 1,119

Harrison Oct. 12, 1954 6 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Nov. 10, 1953 Austria June 10, 1954 Austria Feb. 15, 1955 France Sept. 17, 1921 France Apr. 8, 1954 

